The good, the bad, and the ugly

Well, mostly the ugly. As it neared 13 years old, our pool was in pretty desperate shape. We've had our share of the usual mechanical problems - bad check valves, cracked filter, even replaced the main pump last fall with a nice new 2-speed model. But cosmetically, the pool was ready for a complete makeover.

Large sections of tile around the raised spa had come loose and fallen off. At first I tried to patch these areas (as did the previous owner gauging by the copious amounts of putty in some areas), but eventually I gave up the battle and decided at some point we would just replace the old tile completely. Besides, neither of us really liked the old tile pattern anyway, so no big loss.

The plaster finish was in similar condition, and was worsening each season. What began as several splotchy areas which appeared shortly after we bought the house (damn that inspector!) eventually turned into all out failures, with several areas worn all the way through to the gunite. Besides being an eyesore, these problems also made it very uncomfortable for the kids to use the pool because the rough plaster really tears up your feet.

Over a year ago, I started looking into solutions to the problem. The tile work was something I decided to tackle myself pretty much from the beginning. I've tiled a couple of floors in our home and am fairly competant with a trowel, so that seemed like an excellent opportunity to save some money. So, I just had to find someone to replaster the pool, or so I thought. If you haven't ever tried to get a recommendation for someone to refinish a pool, it is definitely an eye-opening experience. Everyone I asked gave me an answer along the lines of "well we used so-and-so, but I wouldn't recommend him". I found that it was nearly impossible to find someone who is happy with their pool refinishing job. So before I hired someone to do it, I wanted to know why it was so darned hard so I knew what to look for and what questions to ask.

The more I read about the subject, the more I began to dislike plaster as a pool finish. Sure, that original plaster job might last you 15 years, but after that you are lucky to get 5-7 years out of plaster. The profit margins appear to be pretty high on these jobs, so it's no wonder they keep being pushed as the "standard" resurfacing technique. Looking for alternatives to plaster led me in the usual directions Google will send you - fiberglass refinishing products and 2-part epoxies. After reading all the pros and cons of each, I decided to go with an industrial epoxy called Ultraguard. We'll see if it lives up to its hype as the project proceeds.